What is behind Pristina's intention to criminalize the SOC and the Serbian healthcare system in Kosovo?

The attempt to criminalize the Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian health system in Kosovo, which started from London, with the accusations of the British MP Alicia Kearns about the alleged arms smuggling, and was immediately accepted by the Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, who announced an investigation into those claims, for the interlocutors of Kosovo Online is not at all accidental and aimed at shaking the key pillars of life and survival of Kosovo Serbs, forcing them to emigrate.

They see the attack on the SOC and healthcare as a continuation of Kurti's aggressive policy of "extending Kosovo's sovereignty to the north", which entered a kind of radical phase with the invasion of municipal buildings by Kosovo special forces, the imposition of illegitimate Albanian mayors elected in elections with a turnout of around three percent and who were boycotted by the Serbs, as well as by the series of arrests of Serbs that took place in the last few weeks, under unclear charges and often with unnecessary and excessive use of force.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also spoke about this, saying that Pristina, along with police actions, is launching an attack on two more pillars of the Serbian people in Kosovo - the church and health care.

The Eparchy of Raska and Prizren strongly denied the accusations of the British parliamentarian that weapons were being transported by paramedics from central Serbia to churches in Kosovo, demanding that KFOR also declare about it, from where they also said that this was not true. The Eparchy also warned that despite international appeals for de-escalation in the north of Kosovo, the release of three arrested Kosovo policemen by the Serbian authorities and KFOR's denials regarding the Kearns accusations, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti continues to make provocative statements, which openly incites ethnic and religious intolerance against the Serbian people and the SOC in Kosovo. They also presented the alarming information that in the last few months more than 2,000 Serbian families left Kosovo.

Political analyst Dejan Vuk Stankovic tells for Kosovo Online that the attacks on the SOC and health care are aimed at creating an alibi for future violent moves by the authorities in Pristina.
"This shows that Serbia is not the factor that causes security risks, but that it is produced by Pristina and its Western helpers. The attack on the Serbian Orthodox Church and health care means that they want there to be no Serbs in Kosovo. There is no longer any dilemma about that. Two institutions were chosen that are of vital importance for the survival of Serbs. If they are attacked, it is clear that the situation is such that the Serbs should disappear from the area of Kosovo and Metohija," he says.

He does not exclude plans to repeat some kind of scenario from Croatia, from 1995.

"Kurti is obviously working on it and I don't think he's going to give up on it. Whether someone will prevent him from doing so or not is another question. Whether Serbia will build a system of credible "threats" in parallel with diplomacy in order to dissuade the Albanians is also an open question on which much depends. Albanians will certainly not give up on their own," says Stankovic.

Center for Social Stability analyst Nemanja Zavisic tells Kosovo Online that the general political and security situation in Kosovo is entering a dramatic phase of development.
"I am afraid that because of the unilateral moves of Pristina and the silence of the collective West, we are getting closer to the worst scenario every day. In recent days, Kurti continues to criminalize and harass Serbs, publishes some kind of shooting lists, and, unfortunately, he is helped by many foreign and domestic media. The goal is to create such a narrative in the domestic and international public, which will serve as a justification for a new ethnic cleansing," says Zavisic.

He continues that in parallel with "the process of criminalizing anyone who does not have a Serbian name and surname, the Albanian secessionists and their Western mentors have embarked on an action to deal with two more important pillars of the survival of the Serbian people, namely the SOC and the health system".

"Kurti, as a radical Marxist and follower of Adem Demaqi, has been harboring true hatred and contempt for our church for decades, and he was recently joined in this diabolical work by British MP Alicia Kearns, who with her shameful statement labeled the SOC as the key enemy of the independence of the so-called of Kosovo. If we take into account the historical role that the Serbian Orthodox Church has in the Serbian people, as someone who for centuries has been and until today has remained the guardian of our national and spiritual identity, cultural heritage and in some way the guarantor of the survival of Serbs in the area of Kosovo and Metohija, then it is completely clear why our church is the main target of Albanian extremists and their Western mentors. The campaign launched by the British parliamentarian aims to present the SOC as a terrorist organization, which actually creates an alibi for a complete confrontation with it," he says.

He adds that in the background of everything hides the goal of attacking what is most sacred to Serbs, "in order to speed up the process of emigration of our compatriots from the southern province".

"If our enemies read and learned something from history, they would see that the SOC survived the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarians, the Nazis and the Communists, so they could easily learn that they will also survive and defeat these present-day occupiers. It is extremely important that today the relations between the church and the state are better than ever, that there is great mutual trust and personal respect between the patriarch and the president, because that is the only way we can survive unitedly," says Zavisic.

When it comes to the constant stopping of medical vehicles and the confiscation of medicines and medical equipment at administrative crossings, our interlocutor points out that this is, above all, "a vilely designed attack on the health system in order to make it difficult and impossible for Serbs to receive treatment and in this way, additional pressure aimed at emigration was exerted".

"If this continues, the next thing we can expect is that as the school year approaches, some kind of attack on the education system will begin. And then the question arises, how long will Kurti behave like this and can the international community rein him in? I believe that it is absolutely indisputable that the political West has instruments with which it can restrain Kurti, and the only question is whether there is the political will to do so. For now, we only see empty words, and unfortunately, it is impossible to move on to action. Our country and people are once again left to fend for themselves, and that is exactly why we need unity more than ever. It is fortunate that at the head of the state today we have a man who is adorned at the same time by Milos's wisdom and Karađordje's determination, and our people should not doubt their country at all", concludes Zavisic.

Dusan Radakovic from the NGO Center for Advocacy of Democratic Culture (ACDC) also believes that after the SOC and health care, universities and schools could be the next to be hit. The newly elected mayor of North Mitrovica, Erden Atic, has already submitted a request for the municipality to join the Association of Kosovo Municipalities and changed the seal of this local self-government.

"According to the Law on Local Self-Government, Atic, for example, has the right to raise some issues regarding the University of North Mitrovica, for example regarding its registration. I wouldn't be surprised if this is exactly the topic at one of the sessions of the Municipal Assembly from September," says Radakovic for Kosovo Online.

He points out that it is no coincidence that at this moment an institution in which the Serbs have enormous confidence is being attacked, namely the SOC and the health system, as the two most important pillars of their life and survival in Kosovo.

"It is very symptomatic that in a situation where the international community is seriously pressuring the Kosovo authorities to de-escalate the situation in the north, we have a situation with Alicia Kearns and her attacks on the church and healthcare. The fact that the SOC is a pillar of trust of the Serbian community in Kosovo and it is very interesting that the SOC was the only one that came out with announcements and gave support to calm the situation and find a real solution, advocated for peace.

There was always help for the solution of the situation and de-escalation, not for problems. So it is very interesting that in this period there is a concrete attack on the SOC. And not only to the church, but also to the health system, which continues to function according to the Serbian system, under the Ministry of Health of the Government of Serbia, because these are the two main pillars of the survival of the Serbian community in Kosovo," says Radakovic.

It indicates that not only Serbs are treated in Serbian health institutions, but also Albanians.

"As someone who lives in North Mitrovica, I know how many Albanians come for treatment. It is certain that such outbursts as the one by the British parliamentarians only lead to an even greater escalation of the situation and deepen the gap and increase mistrust. The church is one of the pillars of the Serbian community, but also an important factor when we talk about finding a way for a peaceful solution, a more democratic way of life for all communities in Kosovo. In some historical periods, the church was perhaps the only 'refuge' for Serbs," he says.

He points out that it is good that the British ambassador to Kosovo immediately visited Bishop Teodosije of Raška and Prizren, that a joint statement was given, with a joint picture, which means that he is somehow trying to distance himself from the views of Kearns.

"The government in Pristina believes that the fewer Serbs there are in Kosovo, the fewer problems there are. That is the goal, to have as few Serbs here as possible, and they are doing everything to prevent them from living here normally. This is an attack on as many emigrations as possible and as little institutional struggle for the survival of the Serbian community in Kosovo as possible. I am afraid that the education system in Kosovo, which is also one of the main pillars of the survival and life of the Serbs in Kosovo, will be the next to be hit," says our interlocutor.

Director of KHC Kosovska Mitrovica, Zlatan Elek, tells for Kosovo Online that this hospital is the most important Serbian health institution on the territory of Kosovo, which provides more than 90 percent of all health services. Its importance, he notes, was also seen during the recent wounding and beating of Serbs by members of the Kosovo Police.

"For the past three years, the normal supply of medicines, medical supplies, and oxygen has been prevented from this institution... A few days ago, the supply of oxygen was approved for a period of three months. The normal transport of patients with ambulances with "KM" plates is prevented, they are intercepted, an unfortunate event happened last year when the ambulance that was going from Leposavic to Mitrovica was intercepted in Rudare, the driver was kidnapped, medical supplies worth 11,000 euros were taken. Those goods were never returned, and the KHC Kosovska Mitrovica was charged a fine of 1,000 euros, plus three days' fine of 150 euros," said Dr. Elek.

He points out that so far no search of any medical vehicle has found anything other than patients and medical supplies. Often, he notes, among those patients there were Albanians and Roma, Egyptians, Ashkali, because "we do not treat patients according to their national and religious affiliation, but according to the Hippocratic Oath".

"In order to collapse that system, they are trying to criminalize health care in the north of Kosovo as a vital link in the system of the Republic of Serbia, which functions extremely well on the territory of the whole of Kosovo. None of this happens by accident. Doctors are intercepted, medical teams are searched, regardless of whether the vehicle is under rotation, which is forbidden everywhere in the world to stop such a vehicle. The goal is to evacuate as many Serbs as possible. When you accuse and attack the medical staff, with one doctor who treated several hundred families, a certain number of families would certainly move out. To destroy those two links - SOC and the health system as one of the most vital services. That is the goal of the government in Pristina", concludes Elek.